5 Benefits of Business Chatbots| By |Natalie Eisele

The conversation surrounding chatbots is growing, and the way this benefits a company’s business model is better understood. Chatbots can fulfill many requirements and help your business align with what both employees and consumers want to experience. Implementing a chatbot provides many benefits, and it helps to visualize your chatbot goals based on your company’s wants and needs.

Easy to use

Many chatbots are set up with Facebook Messenger or through SMS (a basic texting service), platforms that are familiar to nearly everyone in the workforce. Facebook Messenger has 1.2 billion active users, and the number of people with SMS activity tops that. These platforms are able to send out alerts with a few options for the receiver – to read more, to view a summary or to ask a question. The chatbot service provider can easily change these options depending on the company’s needs. A chatbot’s message is easy to understand and succinct. After each request you make, the bot replies with an answer and then asks another question like “what’s next?” This gives the receiver the option to continue or not.

Faster external communication

Two thirds of consumers appreciate being able to handle a customer service issue without having to talk to a person according to a report by Aspect, a customer service solutions company. A chatbot saves your company time and resources if it needs to communicate with consumers in any way. For example, a bank may need to alert customers of an inconsistency or potential fraud with their account. Instead of just receiving the alert, and then having to call or visit a branch, a consumer can message a chatbot to resolve the issue. As another example, a utility company may have consumers experiencing power outages. Instead of responding to tweets or phone calls, a chatbot answers most questions and give consumers an estimated wait time.

Better internal communication

Employees are familiar with chatbot software, even if they do not realize it. Chatbots Magazine reported that more than three billion people actively use different messaging apps. This is more than use email and any social media account. Messaging and chat services are intuitive and instantaneous. Employees appreciate being able to stay mobile even if they are usually at a desk. And if not, a chatbot is especially helpful to those that are constantly mobile because they can stay connected without a computer.

Attract young talent

Millennials, the future of the workforce, appreciate a company that is tech savvy and considers what employees want and value. While this should not be the only reason to implement a chatbot, it is a major perk. Retale, a mobile advertising service provider, conducted a survey on consumers’ reactions to chatbots. It found that 86 percent of millennials thought that brands should use chatbots to promote deals, products and services. By considering what millennials like and want, a company shows they value all employees and are in tune with trends and what is to come.

Be ahead of the curve – or at least with it

Major companies across industries, including Disney, CNN, Fandango and Fidelity, have already implemented chatbots for various functions. It’s always better to be moving with these corporations than to be a step behind. The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), a financial services company, has a chatbot named Luvo that “… helps staff answer business customer queries quickly and easily.” This is just one example of a business using a chatbot to its benefit, and it’s not a difficult model to follow.